“I didn’t expect to see this many people,” Hale said. “The idea was to make people aware that Thoroughbreds can have other occupations after the racetrack. I thought we’d have 60 horses, if we were lucky. We ended up with more nearly 300 horses and with so many running in more than one race, we have to split five of the seven classes into multiple divisions. Everyone seemed to have a great time. We are getting positive feedback and people already want to know if we can do more of these throughout the year.”

The overall champion was Houston, who edged Testimonialy and Lovey for top honors. Ridden by North Harford High School graduate Megan Sullivan, the 12-year-old finished second in two classes (Class 6-Division C and Class 7-Division A) earlier in the afternoon.

“I give him all the credit,” said an emotional Sullivan. “We raised him from a baby, buying him at the Timonium sale. I have been to the Preakness almost every year of my life (Sullivan is 26) and to be able to show in the infield was really awesome. I have done some big shows but to do it at a very historical place was so fun. It was a very nice horse show.”

Nearly $10,000 in prize money was paid to the owners of the first three finishers in each class (60%-winner; 30%-second place; 10%-third) and six ribbons were awarded for each class.

Governor Martin O’Malley declared the day as THE TOTALLY THOROUGHBRED HORSE SHOW DAY in the state of Maryland.

“In sheer numbers this was phenomenal,” said owner Betty McCue, who brought nine horses down from her Baltimore County farm. “Horses from every walk of life came to do this which meant terrific competition. When we do other events, we usually see the same people and it is wonderful but this event, with Thoroughbreds only, opened up a whole new world for us. It is great to see the different horses coming from different places. We cannot wait for next year.”

The judges included Show Jumping Hall of Famer Rodney Jenkins, now a Laurel Park-based trainer, for Maryland Jockey Club executive Lenny Hale and Steuart Pittman.

All the proceeds go to three local Thoroughbred aftercare programs: Kim Clark’s Thoroughbred Placement Resources, Mid-Atlantic and Angel Acres.

UPDATE:

Saturday’s Totally Thoroughbred Horse Show at Pimlico Race Course raised $16,500 for the official charitable beneficiaries.

The funds were generated primarily through entry fees, T-shirt sales and raffle prizes.

HRTV.com streamlined the event and reported the largest number of visitors to the site since the day before the 2012 Belmont Stakes.

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